Government denies allegations National Treasury is refusing to release funds to rebuild KZN after flooding

Government has denied allegations by the DA that National Treasury is refusing to release funds allocated for rebuilding parts of KwaZulu-Natal destroyed by floods last month. 

Spokesperson Phumla Williams said the allegations are malicious and work is under way by government to help communities rebuild.

Williams said government allocated relief in a phased approach, with the first being immediate humanitarian relief and the second phase involving reconstruction and repair. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa and finance minister Enoch Godongwana revealed last month that R1bn had been set aside to help rebuild homes and infrastructure destroyed by torrential rains in the province. 

In its media briefing earlier this week, the DA said funds were no longer coming and affected municipalities would have to reprioritise their budgets to rebuild.

Williams, however, said a process needs to be followed before the funds can be released.

“The process includes provinces and municipalities making applications for these funds to the National Disaster Management Centre and department of human settlements who, after processing them, submit them to National Treasury. The funds are available shortly after National Treasury receives and processes an application.”

She assured South Africans no-one will be left behind in the process of rebuilding.

“It has been just over a month since heavy flooding wreaked havoc across parts of KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West.  In all these provinces, government and all stakeholders have been hard at work to recover from these tragic events. Government is mobilising all available resources and undertaking every effort to ensure that, as we rebuild, no-one is left behind,” said Williams.